Portable pipe cutting machines have been proposed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,745,699 dated Feb. 4, 1930; 3,187,738 dated Jun. 8, 1965; and 3,572,199 dated Mar. 23, 1971; wherein rotatable rollers support a pipe to be cut by a saw mounted on a manually operable handle. While these machines have been satisfactory for their intended purpose, they have been somewhat limited to the specific function of merely cutting pipe.
In the laying of sewer, water and gas lines, the cutting of the pipe is incidental to the laying of the line. After the pipes have been connected, various tests, such as vacuum, hydrostatic and air, have to be made to insure that there are no leaks in the system. Heretofore, various apparatus had to be carried to the job site to perform the various operations of cutting and testing the pipes. After considerable research and experimentation, the multi-purpose pipeline construction and testing machine of the present invention has been devised wherein a vehicle towed trailer is provided with a single power source, such as an internal combustion engine, which is operably connected to a plurality of pipe support rollers which rotate a pipe while being cut by a circular saw blade, a bevel cutting blade or end-bevelled by a grinding wheel, each being operatively connected to the single power source which is also operably connected to a water pump, a hydrostatic pump, and an air compressor, whereby the pipe system can be tested for leaks.
The trailer also includes storage compartments for hoses and pipes to be constructed at the job site, a manhole test cover for use when performing a vacuum test, and meters and gauges for use when performing hydrostatic and vacuum tests.
By the construction and arrangement of the machine of the present invention, a multi-purpose or full service pipeline construction and testing machine is provided wherein all the apparatus for the installation of a sewer, water or gas line and the testing thereof, is provided on a trailer readily transportable to a job site, to thereby preclude the necessity of individually transporting all the required tools to the job site.